Two Weeks Of Bliss (1 of 3)

Article 032.

Last February when I wrote "I Hear Laughter In The Rain" (Article #24), I implied whimsically that I need to visit the Philippines. That was more of "I wish I could" rather than "I actually will". I haven't been there for almost 13 years, so there's gotta be a compelling reason why I suddenly would make that trip. It can't be just me feeling nostalgic all of a sudden due to rainfall. Well... fate gave me a reason.

The timing for my visit was rather unfortunate. My bad for underestimating the heatwave eventhough everyone was telling me it was really hot out there. I mean, "How bad could it be?" The heat index was at its all time high since about 7 years ago and it was a scorching 100+ degrees for majority of my stay. At night it drops a few degrees lower and I tell you with no exaggeration, that I never felt so relieved reading lower 90s on my weather app. And this is coming from someone in SoCal who lives on sunlight almost the entire year. So for the most part of my stay there, I'm on a/c environment. It's almost a necessity in order to survive.

Landed at NAIA Terminal 1 and images of the dreadful restroom from 13 years ago immediately started haunting me. For a terminal to house international flights, the one place where you want to find relief is actually a stressful encounter. The last time I visited the restroom for that specific terminal, it was very disappointing not to mention pretty disgusting. But that was more than a decade ago so I was hoping they've upped their ante and made improvements. And improvements they made. It wasn't impressive by any means but surely more presentable than it was before. The terminal itself needs a major overhaul but I heard the other terminals are not as outdated.

My first stop was Newport Mall in Newport City, an area which I've only seen in YouTube videos from, of all people, foreigners who visit the Philippines. My expectations weren't high and I get that they are developing it as a mini-Las Vegas clustering together hotels with casinos in it. Still weird that the surrounding areas are shanties which really throws off the over-all ambiance. But I have no doubt in the next decade or so, the expansion is gonna be huge. Next stop was for coffee in Bonifacio Global City, referred to more as BGC in Taguig. I wasn't ready to explore that area yet on Day 1 so a quick cruise-around was all there was. More on BGC later. But let me just air this out first. What in the Metropolis name had happened that Manila became the building capital of the world?? The moment I hit the streets I see high-rise buildings left and right. I couldn't keep count on how many I've witnessed during the travel along EDSA. I even passed by Parañaque and Alabang via SLEX en route to Tagaytay later on in the week and I could barely recognize those cities. It's crazy dramatic how many of these have been planted. How are these getting filled up? Is the demand for offices or condominiums really that abundant and steadfast? Shaking my head in disbelief.

Had to pass by the neighboring Financial District which is Makati, and Glorietta is so different from what I remember. No more Hotel Intercontinental as well and in its place is a building with a slew of establishments forming what they call now as One Ayala. Is that Ascott Hotel atop of it? I really didn't notice. Not surprisingly, Jupiter Street is dead and so the night cap shifted to Rockwell-- at least this one hasn't changed that much. I had a few drinks with tapas and how else do I end the night but with me behind the wheel, right? I only volunteered because I'm kinda questioning my companion's driving prowess at night with alcohol in her system. I realize I have such balls just going at it since I haven't driven in Manila in ages. It's a city with a wild driving mentality, where street lanes are but cosmetic and enforcers are aplenty. You have to fight every inch to advance and your horn becomes your best friend. Go wild with the honking, it's all good. The streets were swarming with scooters and motorbikes living not-so harmoniously with cars, buses and trucks, collectively resulting in major gridlock and taking away productive hours of your life by nailing you on the road.

Paseo de Roxas cor Makati Ave

 

THE FOOD

I'm not gonna lie, the taste of food in the Philippines is without a doubt way better. Granted they are greasy and there’s an abundance of salt, they still don't lack an inch of flavor. I keep telling my Mom and Sister, I can taste the difference in a fried egg. Maybe because chickens there are not tagged as cage-free or pasteurized and all that FDA-approved status before it gets out to the public. Chickens who get stressed tends to release more flavorful eggs don't you think? But besides the egg, everything that I ate has been nothing but "mouth"-blowing. Yes, from the appetizers at Tipsy Pig and the tempura at Ichiba to the resurrected Jumbo Pao at Kowloon House. Nothing disappointing. Oh how I missed Mom's "Kare-Kare" and her "Munggo" bean dish and tasting it again was truly home. Unfortunately didn't get a chance to have my most favorite Mom viand which is "Mechado". So that's gonna be priority when my folks visit me the latter part of this year. I missed Le Ching but had North Park. Ate at Marugame and Dohtonbori for the Japanese cravings. I was longing for Andok's Liempo but instead had Chooks-To-Go. I tried the cheese roll at Mary Grace which is okay but because it was hyped to me too much, it didn't meet set expectations. The "Daing na Bangus" at Pancake House rocked and the pasta at CIBO was good as well. On top of the unique preparation at your table, Manam's palabok is to die for. In fact every dish there was actually delish. I did a lunch buffet at EDSA Shangri-La, which actually is the least of my favorites. The entrees at Barcino was delightful but their sangria was a killer. However, the one resto that took the cake was Tablo in Timog. Hands down the best food I ate during my stay. You gotta check it out! I was also planning of doing a Chinatown trip in Quiapo during the day to eat some authentic noodles and all the goodies I saw on SocMed influencers' videos. But the heat just scared the hell outta me so I really believed that missing out on that experience in exchange for not getting dehydrated and avoiding exhaustion was a sane decision.

The classic Kowloon Jumbo Pao

Taking care of my Gyudon and Ramen fix!

THE STREETS OF PROJECT 7

After a weekend at Tagaytay Highlands, we got to my Sister's place in Pasig late Sunday night. A quick dinner and off I am with my folks to spend a few nights where I grew up-- Veteran's Village Project 7 in Quezon City. Along the way home, the a/c in Dad's car just went out. The lights on the dashboard also went out but surprisingly the car is still in motion. Seems like the battery went dead but as long as the motor is running, we should make it. Or will we? Every kilometer that passes by, it seems like the car is about to falter. And every full stop we make, it seems like it will never accelerate. There were enforcers everywhere and Dad said that if the car breaks down in the middle of EDSA, creating an already insane logjam even more bananas, would cost him thousands in fines not to mention the hassle and inconvenience that goes along with it. With the goodness of God (Mom praying like crazy), we made it. And just when Dad was about to park the car inside, the motor eventually dies down. How lucky are we? Upon entering the village, I could not recognize entirely the streets I grew up in. I can only tell that Anahaw Street seems so narrow. And again, the houses have gone taller.

Anahaw Street at Day

Great house design Folks!!!

The sound of roosters in the morning was nostalgic. Sharing breakfast with my folks, even more. I've always wondered how they go by their day and now I have first hand experience. Mom wakes up early, preps breakfast and does the laundry. Dad bathes the dogs and sweeps the open surface of fallen leaves. After a sumptuous breakfast of "tocino", eggs and fried rice (Tocilog) plus that highly creamy 3-in-1 coffee, I accompanied Dad to the dry and wet markets. Dry-- to pay the bills and Wet-- to buy the ingredients for our Sinigang lunch. As we pass by the houses going to our destination, I asked Dad if the people I knew who reside on these houses are still there. My old man would go through each and every one and I'm more surprised by the ones who still lives there over those who left or passed away. Also felt sorry for the structures that remain the same and did not had an inch of needed curb appeal. What happened? The house that I grew up in is no longer the same. The over-all aesthetic has been significantly improved and my folks designed the house based of their needs as empty nesters.

I'm somewhat impressed by the Walter-Mart established beside Muñoz Market, which used to be a big PLDT office. The grocery inside was massive compared to my local Stater Brothers. As expected, it is surrounded by a scad of fast food restaurants. It's clean, vast and the rigid a/c is definitely a great allure for those looking to cool off the outside heat. Muñoz on the other hand has kept its middleman stature that caters to the masses. I was asked randomly about 3 times by strangers asking for a buck or two. Had to say no. I can't say that I miss the smell of the place but I knew it was trademark Project 7.

Project 7's Very Own

I realized I didn't take a lot of pictures during my trip. Blogging took a back seat as I savor every minute of the day that I am in Manila. Plus my mind (and heart) was somewhere else. Or should I say with someone else... Friends and family comes next. So Part 2 should be in soon.